


In Tulips and Mud

by Sailus



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Im Westen nichts Neues | All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, F/M, Historical Fantasy, World War I
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-11 07:26:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16471307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sailus/pseuds/Sailus
Summary: Inspired by books like "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Storm of Steel" with the naivety of basing things on my D&D setting, this story is me trying to comprehend an industrialized continent that just happened to take place in a world with magic. With the generic set of Humans, Elves, and Dwarves are thrown in to confuse the messy pot of understanding. Set in an event which would be both familiar and different to readers. This is about a girl with the old noble sensibility faced with the reality of endless industrial warfare.





	In Tulips and Mud

**Borders**

* * *

 

" _Since it has pleased Asurhai to place me in this station, I shall do my utmost to fulfill my duty towards my country..."_

_\- Queen Commia_

 

* * *

 

Sweat, that was the first thing Yulia Veber thought of when standing in formation while out in the middle of a sunny day on the dirt road. She wasn't used to all this green, sunlight, and fresh air but it was a pleasant experience from the smog-filled street back home. Reflexively tucking in her brownish-blond hair back under her helmet again. Everybody in the column was all anxious for the actual fighting to begin and the waiting made it all the worst. Others scratched their asses or picked their noses when doing nothing but stand together as a big dark green block on the road. The sounds of gunfire were long gone by now but the runner coming in to inform the rest of the army was taking his sweet time. The pointy tips of the hardened leather helmet jutted out like devil horns along the side while the neck was covered from the sunlight. The entire thing would've shined reflecting in the day with the metal bits and straps if not for the sturdy forest green cloth covering the helmet. The chin strap chafing would've bothered Yulia if not for the fact she had gotten used to it in training by now. What was odd to Veber was the thought that the helmet horns were actually there to fit on things that looked like wings during parades or when a dress uniform was required. Much in the same manner as the old knights or tribal warriors in Fulkisch history, wings and horns were often attached to their helms to proudly display who they were. "Would that mean the Vesgothr would see me as a raider from ancient times?" Thought Yulia when realizing that the tiny horns looked more appropriate for tribal warfare than a modern military force.

 

That also brought into light a memory of how proud her family had been when she showed off her new uniform for the first time right before claiming on a train to the western front. Her friends commented on how it made her appear sharp compared to the disheveled civilians. Joining the military was something somebody in her family have always done despite never being interested in politics, in fact when Yulia first joined, she didn't even think she would even vote after the war. The privilege of voting something she never actually cared enough to convince her to join the army. What was more real was the present danger of Occitonia attempting to destroy the Federal Fulkisch Zolerraisch again like the first four times. Her great-great-grandmother was a mercenary that fought for the empire back when it was known as the Divine Elven Hegemony. It was due to people like her that the DEH was able to form into the federal empire as the sacrifices they made thwarted the Vesgothr attempts to decentralize the DEH. It was with the nationalistic joy that the idea of all Fulkisch speaking peoples should be united under one language, one flag, one crown, that her great-grandfather and grandfather marched off to in the other two wars. The former had died and the latter lost his right leg. Closing her eyes, Veber remembered the black mark where Upper Lorringa was on the national map as the teacher hit her for forgetting the name. The exact words were, "Remember child, this province is 'Oberlorringa' until the day it is taken back from the cursed Occiton, don't you dear forget it!" before another smack on the hand with a ruler reminded Yulia. How could she forget it, that was where her father died in the last war. This reminder stirred up hate with anger but not the kind that would boil over and explode in the spectacular mess. It was the kind to simmer as the thoughts constantly prod her mind with reminders to never forget. Don't forget that her father was missing an arm when his body returned from the front. Don't forget that the city of Schtraussborg is filled with Fulkisch people yearning to be freed from the oppressors that ban them from speaking their own native tongue. Don't forget that Oberlorringa used to be a part of the old imperial Elven lands until the Occiton dishonorably took it using the flimsiest of excuses. Don't forget that the Vesgothr are her "Erbfaidschaft", a generational enemy which to make war until justice was served.

 

Those small thoughts were all that she needed to bring a spring back into her step as the entire formation began marching again after the runner finally got back. Although Yulia specifically asked to be a part of the frontline unit, she along with all the other female troopers were sent into the reserve units but would serve on the front for the duration of the war. Often, they would end up doing jobs too time-consuming for the regular units to do or would be rotated to the front to give some of the regular troopers’ time to rest and reinforce. That didn't mean Yulia was safe from danger as it won't be rare to be sent to the front and the gunfire kept her alert even if it had died out. The tulips were pretty and colorful as it seems none of the troopers trampled on it yet while they kept to the dirt roads. The loud thunderous stomps from the reservist made a great dust cloud as the wagons and horses stayed in formation carrying food, ammo, uniforms, weapons, cooking utensils, artillery pieces, shells, and bedrolls. That was only counting the things Yulia could see while resting. It didn't include abnormal things like medicine, wires, entrenching tools, and scopes along with other odd items she couldn't think up of. The entire formation was a cacophony emitting forth due to the mix of hooves, feet, wheels, wood, and metal mashing together to in a seemingly endless block of a dark green mass. Time would slow down when Yulia realized that she was doing nothing but marching in lockstep sing the same verse over and over again. Yet somehow it also sped up as by the time she did realize it, they were approaching the town where they would rest for a break before marching again to the closest train station.

 

“Squad Epsilon, on me!” Feldvebal Fischer yelled to bring everybody’s attention to her. The Human was a tough lady with brown hair and a sharp nose with green eyes. Maria Fischer was the type of trooper to drink and smoke whatever and however much she wanted and still beat the rest of the squad in a race. Nither Yulia nor any of the other troopers ever figured out how Fischer does it but maybe the gods really did look out for the Feldvebal.

 

“Grunner, I want something to eat. See if you can’t sneak a snack out from one of the wagons for me.”

 

“Feldvebal, isn’t that against regulation?”

 

“Ja, so? I’m your superior officer and you will do what you’re told, musketier,”

 

“Javol offitzer,” With an unenthusiastic salute, the stickler for rules that just happened to be named Hilda Grunner ran off to the nearest wagon with food to practice her thieving ways. Yulia knew that since given the option of either joining the military or rotting in jail, Grunner had mostly reformed from her criminal past. Yet, the skills the girl picked up on the streets of Nurenborg were still useful for something unorthodox like this. The reddish hair from Grunner was a bit wavy as it poked out of the helmet for just a few centimeters. Typical freckles and green eyes of somebody from the Isles of Eggs, the hybrid’s family moved from their islands following the royal marriage between the Fulkisch imperial family and the Eirisch royal family. Yet that was a generation ago and still, her family carries the traits of distinctive islander features. Even Yulia noticed in her family tree how increasingly blond they got while the original ginger features lost ground.

There was also Fila fon Brauk with the clumsy way she held the pen and letter while already writing something to be mailed back home. Another hybrid like Yulia even coming from the same province. But that was where their similarities end, whereas the Veber family were simply folk with humble origins, the fon Brauk dynasty lived in an estate and were the counts and countesses of the Grossa Kollschtain province. Wishing for a life beyond being an aristocratic decoration on the windowsill of governance, Fila joined the military with the outbreak of the war with the career of a politician in mind. None of the higher-ups were ever going to respect a politician without a military background much less being voted into an office by the citizens. That would mean either that fon Brauk needed to kiss up to the fon Bakinborgs to be appointed an office with no hope of advancement. Or, she could make a name for herself through the Hird, the Imperial Army, with a medal or two and be elected into the imperial diet or some other noteworthy office. Yet that was the extent about which Yulia knew of the fon Brauk’s plan. The rest was never told to the other member of the squad as Fila hid that detail from the rest of the outside world. Although she thought the circular glasses made fon Brauk look goofy, Veber guesses that it also prevented the outsiders from ever staring into her soul. The idea of something always being planned never left Fila’s face.

The last two in the squad were the inseparable Lisbet Jormsonn and Catrin Ferder. Lisbet was Human while Catrin was a hybrid. Catrin was taller than the rest while Lisbet was shorter than the rest. Catrin looked rougher with a facial scar with brown eyes and brown hair while the other had pure blond hair with blue eyes. Lisbet appeared to be made of glass and Catrin could crush any skull with one hand. They were the opposite of each other but they tried to stay together wherever they went. It was through patriotic duty did Lisbet joined the Hird when war broke out while the other quickly followed suit. While it did help some documents were _misplaced_ to have Catrin to transfer to another unit, generally, they appeared to be sisters joined to the hip if not for the clear physical differences between the two. It might've been against the laws of nature to have them be separated for a period of time more than a month. The two worked in tandem to often bully other troopers in the platoon. Jormsonn offered the carrot while Ferder wielded the stick. It might’ve been Ferder that came up with the insane schemes but it was Jormsonn that could talk her way into getting things the way they wanted. And if that didn’t work, Ferder could always come in to punch it in the face. It was that tendency that drew the ire from the rest of the platoon when they find a _lost_ binocular or a _dropped_ pistol worth more than Yulia’s entire biweekly pay.

The column stopped in the local town of Flodrop as it welcomed the outsiders with the white paint coming off of the wooden sign. There was a feeling of rustic charm from the small settlement while the locals peeked out of their windows to view their invaders. One of the officers was with a translator as they both stood next to the town hall with what is assumed to be the mayor or some sort of local official. The Fulkisch officers went over and explained to both the native onlookers and the official that Batavia was only to be used for conducting a military maneuver to assist the war effort. They assured the public that the Fulkisch troops weren’t invading Batavia and that once they’ve won against Occitonia, the Zolares would restore Batavian sovereignty and order the Hird to withdraw from the lowlands. Even going so far as to have the officer and translator took off their caps to dip their heads to promise to the Entisch official that they would do everything in their power to avoid killing the countrymen of the locals. They even went through the proper information of guaranteeing to the natives that any damages or losses to property conducted by the Hird would be compensated for after the war. The Fulkisch Zentralbank, the federal bank of the empire, would analyze then distribute the appropriate amount of Raischmarcks to the victims of unruly soldiers and battle. That was, of course, assuming that the empire had enough money to do such a thing in the first place. Which they should be able to do once they’ve won the war. It might’ve been a lie or a half-truth but anything to have the locals cooperate rather than hinder the Hird was better than nothing.

The officer had heard of so-called “Freischutzen” or “Free Shooters” from the southern colonies. This was where soldiers that didn’t wear uniforms and units were formed from what was supposed to be civilians. These freischutzen were able to harm the largest colonial army at the time and were able to delay their defeat in the colonies. The Eirisch Colonial Army who held the advantage in supply, numbers, training, and firepower was unable to crush the rebellion consisting of malnourished farmers with rifles. The entire thing was a debacle where the Home Guard from the islands were called upon to finally win this war against the freischutzen. The Home Guard consisted of veterans from other colonial conquests, while they didn’t fight freischutzen per se, they did fight primitive states or tribes that employ the same tactics. That gave the Eirisch Commonwealth the advantage they needed to win the war in Transvaald as they outwitted the local Entisch colonial fighters. However, these tactics were never shared with the Fulkisch military and remained a deeply guarded secret within Eirisch circles.

That was the worry which made the officer sweat and made her promise to give everything under the holy sun to the locals in the hopes of not angering them. There was also the very real danger of having them sabotage the infrastructure to upset the timetable. And as the officer in charge of the company who would be deployed to reinforce a frontline unit, anything slowing them down would have to be seen as a threat to the entire operation. They were cogs in a grand machine which have but one purpose, and that was to reach the Occiton capital of Versai as fast as possible. If a single bolt, valve, or cog for just a moment didn’t do as it was supposed to, the entire machine could fall apart and it could end in disaster. Everybody knew it simply as “De Dag” or “The Day” would be the most important event within their generation to live through as it was the day in which to cross the border into Batavia and crush Occitonia once and for all. Their eternal enemy would see the beginning of their end on that day. They’ve been drilling, reciting, and calculating down to the exact train axle to pass which train station for De Dag. As the Fulkisch saw it, the very survival of the federal empire depended on them being able to defang the Occiton before having to face the southern front. The worst thing for them to imagine was being sapped the strength to fight in a prolonged dragged out wars in the south and the west at the same time. There was simply no hope of doing such a thing and the officer knew this. The idea was hammered into her mind by her superiors and thus compelled her to do anything and everything to keep the locals in line.

The Feldvebal ate while Squad Epsilon talked, mostly complained about how slow everything was. They expected calvary charges like from the kights of old or mass formation of blocks firing by rank in grand battles. Not whatever this was, this constantly being herded like livestock onto trains then unloading over and over again. Then came the marching, the monotonous dull marching of repeating the same verse about the Haimitland and the Zolares. The tulips and lush green landscape were pretty for the first three times the squad saw it but it quickly became boring when they appeared to march passed similar places for the next five time.

The gossiping, bickering and general chatter from Squad E were silenced by an all too familiar sound. Veber’s heart jumped to her throat when she stopped in the middle of her sentence when realizing what that was. It was the metallic creak of a rifle, almost second-nature to her since practicing with rifles for the past two months, Yulia ducked behind cover.

**Author's Note:**

> For those confused:  
> Ethic groups within this setting are not defined by race as the various different pockets of Humans, Elves, hybrids, and Dwarves would sooner end up exterminating each other than being productive members of society. The main difference between these peoples is the values they hold with their behavior and the language they speak.
> 
> Entisch: The natives of Batavia or the lowlands and are in the same linguistic group with Fulkisch. These people also once had a colony in Transvaald before it declared independence.  
> Eirisch: The natives of the Isles of Eggs and conquerers of Transvaald after it declared independence. They also founded the Eirisch Commonwealth.  
> Fulkisch: The natives of the Fulkisch Zolerraisch or simply known as the federal empire. There are many of them that speak this language outside of the Fulkisch realm.  
> Occiton: The Fulkisch call them Vesgothr and they are natives of Occitonia.


End file.
